No. 1-ranked Djokovic opens against a qualifier and could face wildcard entry Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the second round in a rematch of the 2008 Australian Open, won by Djokovic, his first major singles title.
Playing in her 15th Australian Open, the three-time finalist said she was pleased to go through so easily as she battles back from injuries. I got the chance to play him in Wimbledon on centre court.
The Spaniard beat the home favourite 6-4 6-3 7-5 in a routine victory to book his spot in the second round of the Australian Open and the result never appeared in doubt.
In a gripping 3 hour, 52 minute match, de Minaur overcame a night of wildly contrasting emotions to emerge victorious 6-4 6-2 6-7 4-6 6-3 and received a standing ovation for his resilience.
Showcasing a sturdy defense and counter-punching gamely, Evans broke Federer for the first time in the tournament, dragging the former world number one into a second tiebreak to cheer British fans after Andy Murray's first round elimination. This performance comes after a very good display from the 37-year-old in Perth where he won all his 4 matches in straight sets and playing fantastic tennis before winning the Hopman Cup.
The 32-year-old Nadal, now ranked second in the world, then had a quick chat with the journalist, who was woken up by the laughter. "I've lost matches when I'm fully fit, so I have to work on lots of things to get back up there". I felt solid with the second. Laaksonen outplayed de Minaur in the rallies, hitting 40 winners more than the home favorite but also almost 90 unforced errors, unable to stay on the positive side of the scoreboard in the deciding set after 3-3.
"It was a really tough match and it could have gone both ways", said Nishikori, who has reached the last eight at Melbourne Park on three previous occasions.
De Minaur and Nadal have only met once previously, at Wimbledon past year, and it was a comfortable straight sets win for the Spaniard.
"She's also a lefty, so it's always a little bit different to play".
"She's so nice, such a good competitor. To win has to be the goal, but I try not to put too much pressure on it". "I go to breakfast", she wittily said. I see why he can cause difficulties to players.
Sharma, who spent the past few years competing in the United States college system while studying health and medicine at Vanderbilt University in Tennessee, had already more than doubled her career prize-money tally of just over $72,000 simply by qualifying for the Australian Open main draw.
"Maybe it's a good omen to play on my birthday", Kerber said.
